Casio G-Shock and Baby-G – Fashion Watch Reviews

Casio is one of those brands that everyone has an opinion on. Probably because everyone has, at some point in their lives, owned or worn one.

Whether it’s the gold, digital staple of the East-London coffee-bar crawler or plastic colour-pop of the Baby-G, there is rarely a wrist that hasn’t been adorned by this brand at some point.

So when Casio told us it was doing a super-cool pop-up – the largest ever at the department store, complete with rather snazzy globe and amazing selection of G-Shock and Baby-Gs – on Harrods’ fifth floor, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have a nose around and reacquaint ourselves with this perpetually popular brand.

THE WATCHES

G-Shock GPW-1000-1AER (left) and Baby-G BA-110SN-3AER

As the pop-up has been designed to cater to both genders, we thought it was rude to just choose one watch so we’ve gone for two. For the chaps, there’s the GPW-1000-1AER G-Shock. This is the ultimate boy’s toy. It calibrates the time wherever you are using both satellite and radio signals, so you’ll never not know the time, as well as being super light and glow in the dark.

For our other choice we went all retro traumatic and picked that icon from our teen years, the Baby-G BA-110SN-3AER, which, worryingly, is 21 this year.

Not only does this still look as cool as it did 21 years ago, but it also has function as well as form – world time, water resistance and five different alarms.

WHAT’S INTERESTING?

What’s really impressive about both these watches is what Casio manages to pack into them. They both have world-functions, though the G-Shock takes all the effort out of calibrating that thanks to its GPS.

The Baby-G has a calendar that’s good until 2099, while the G-Shock has a hand-adjustment function that monitors the home position every hour to adjust for shocks or the influence of magnets. Also, the Baby-G is water resistant to 100m while the G-Shock goes to 200m, both have stop watches and alarms, though the Baby-G wins here by having five of them.

And all this technology is all packaged in two very light and wearable watches.

LOOK AND FEEL

The Baby-G is pure 90s retro summer fabulousness. The vibrant colours look even better with a tan and it is sporty but not too functional. You can’t help but smile with this on your wrist.

The G-Shock is definitely not one to share with your other half. It is a chunky number and sits rather high on the wrist so, if you were to wear it with a shirt it would lie flush to it rather than being tucked under it. Despite its size, it doesn’t dominate, making a statement without taking people’s eyes out.

WEAR IT

As the Baby-G is celebrating its 21st birthday, we thought it only right that it should be styled in the best 90s grunge tradition. That means dungarees, battered Converse and a winsome smile. Daisies optional.

Although the G-Shock could work with a shirt and jacket – we’d leave the tie at home – we think the best way to wear this is a la James Bond in casual mode in Casino Royale. Navy polo, chinos and an intense stare.

To get these looks, click on the boards

NEED TO KNOW

These are both watches that pack a lot of punch for their price bracket. The G-Shock is £750, which is due to the GPS technology, while the Baby-G is an absolute steal at £100.

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